How CAQ put its stamp on Quebec in 2019
‘Quebecers see we have resumed moving forward’: François Legault
QUEBEC — Apparently, this is how we are to be governed.
Wrapping up the fall sitting of the National Assembly in December, Premier François Legault made no apologies for the way his Coalition Avenir Québec government performed in 2019.
That includes the frenzied pace and inevitable slip-ups.
“Quebecers see we have resumed moving forward,” Legault said. “Sometimes it’s a little bit too fast but we correct things when we don’t quite go where we want to go.
“Quebecers appreciate this way of doing things.”
The comment adds a new layer to the concept of a populist government giving the people what they want, when they want it.
While in 2018 Legault and his party were still glowing in their election victory, 2019 was when they started to make their mark on Quebec society in a big way and on numerous fronts.
Legault is serious about respecting the promises he made in the 2018, and 2019 was when he started ticking them off one by one — even if some have been watered down.
In October, after one year in office, Legault told the Montreal Gazette his biggest accomplishment was making Quebecers feel pride in themselves again.
L’Actualité magazine named him one of Quebec’s personalities of the year. Polls show the approval level in the CAQ government is hovering around 64 per cent 14 months into its mandate.
But it was not all smooth sailing.
In November, Simon JolinBarrette, the Minister of Immigration, Francization and
Integration, was forced to apologize for his botched attempt to reform the Quebec Experience Program, which historically was used as a fast track to obtaining a Quebec immigration selection certificate.
“I admit my error, so, yes, I am apologizing to Quebecers for the reforms,” Jolin-Barrette said of his attempt to restrict access to the program. “I am going back to the drawing board to re-do the work and consult all the partners.”
Adding insult to injury, respected Le Devoir columnist Michel David awarded Jolin-Barrette an “E” in his annual report card.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonatan Julien ran into turbulence in his attempt to redress Hydro-Québec’s past over-billing of customers. As was the case with Jolin-Barrette, his decision not to consult in advance blew up in the government’s face.
The absence of consultations and its habit of not listening to outside experts has earned the
CAQ a reputation of being arrogant, even cold.
Nowhere is that more obvious than the CAQ’s relations with minorities, who have been feeling the sting of Legault’s nationalist identity policies.
It started last June with the adoption of two controversial pieces of legislation: Bill 9, reforming the immigration system, and the hotly contested Bill 21 on state secularism. Both bills were adopted using closure after heated debates.
In October, Education Minister Jean-François Roberge acted on an election promise to present legislation abolishing school boards and replacing them with service centres. Bill 40 was dressed up as a compromise, because it will allow the Englishspeaking community to continue holding elections for some positions under the new arrangement.
However, hearings into the bill — which has not yet been adopted — revealed deep unease among minorities. And like Bill 21, the legislation looks like it will be challenged in the courts.
And 2019 was marked by continued drama between the government and the English School Board of Montreal (EMSB). Acting on a report describing the board as dysfunctional, Roberge put the board under partial trusteeship in November and has sent in former Liberal MP Marlene Jennings to try and sort out the mess.
But there was much else going on politically in 2019. Some highlights:
A FEDERAL ELECTION ALL ABOUT QUEBEC
On Sept. 17, Legault made public a letter that included a shopping list of provincial demands to the federal leaders. The premier wanted a pledge from each party leader to stay out of Bill 21, turn over control over immigration, and replace the federal and Quebec income tax forms by a single form.
Legault had limited success with his pitch, but the demands helped invigorate the moribund Bloc Québécois, which went on to win 32 seats by saying it would defend Quebec’s interests.
There was speculation Legault would have wished for the Conservatives to form the next federal government, because they appeared more open to Quebec’s demands than the Liberals.
PUBLIC FINANCES IN GOOD SHAPE
Finance Minister Eric Girard presented his fall economic update Nov. 7. Fat with cash, the CAQ opened up the spending tap for families, reverting to $8.25 daycare, meaning 140,000 families no longer must pay more for subsidized daycare.